1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for operating a motor vehicle that drives or is able to be driven in an at least partially automated manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Methods for operating motor vehicles that are driven or able to be driven in an at least partially automated mode are generally known. Vehicle manufacturers are increasingly attempting to design motor vehicles that assume driving tasks in a partially automated or fully automated manner. For example, research is conducted for motor vehicles that allow a fully automatic operation, in which the attention of a driver is largely no longer required. In a partially automated driving mode, the vehicle executes driving tasks at least partially on its own. In the partially automated driving mode, for example, the motor vehicle may follow motor vehicles driving ahead, and in the fully automated driving mode, it drives toward a predefined destination automatically while complying with all traffic rules.
During partially automated or fully automated driving, or during the partially automated or fully automated driving operation of the motor vehicle, the driver is allowed to abandon the driving tasks as long as he or she is able to resume control of the vehicle within a predefinable period of time. Systems that monitor the driver's gaze direction with the aid of cameras are known per se, so that inferences regarding the alertness of the driver are able to be drawn on the basis of the gaze direction.